At the invitation of some very good friends, I returned to Bradford County on Labor Day.
Is Towanda Creek still flowing? Yes.
Is Towanda Creek still bubbling? Yes.
I took some time to stop and take a few pics I missed on my last 3 trips. I also saw this unbelievable ~100' long rock ledge under ~3 feet of water in Towanda Creek that begs to be probed in the fall with a few well-placed casts.
Above: How does methane migrate through rock again?
Anyway...I hope to return in October with a fishing rod in my hand.
Have a good week.
Thanks again Don, for bringing us updates on this important story. If it weren't for you, the PADEP would still have this nightmare neatly hidden for nobody to see.
ReplyDeleteWe all know why this story is so important, but I'd like you and the folks there to be extra careful. I've done a lot of reading lately about the radioactivity of the Marcellus shale and how the radiation "will be transferred along with the gas to its destination". This has made me wonder if anyone has done any tests on where the methane meets the surface for radiation??? Other than the obvious explosive characteristics of the methane, I am concerned that these dear folks may be getting a dose of radiation that they didn't ask for.
Just my thoughts, and by the way.....I wouldn't be eating any of those fish.
I know someone in Towanda has a Geiger counter, but I'm not sure if it's been used in the field.
ReplyDeleteI've been a catch & release fisherman for 25+ years, so I'm not planning to eat anything I might catch. I will take some pics. Thanks for the heads-up.
Ah....I too, am catch and release. I need to get fishing again. It's so relaxing. Cleanses the soul. And I'm a girl, but was brought up fishing!
ReplyDeleteSeriously look into the geiger counter though. It depends on whether the methane release is from a shallow pocket or deep pocket. I'm just so concerned that these people are being exposed to things that CHK and DEP are not telling them about. I don't care how big a filtration system they give them, I still wouldn't be using that water.
Regarding radio-nuclides and heavy metal toxicity in the water--a water softener system would take care of that, but the test for radio nuclides is a level 3 test--upwards of $1000. Gross alpha test might be a sufficient test and less expensive, if one doesn't feel the need to know exactly what is in the water (RA226, RA228, U). I don't think DEP or the gas drillers are testing for heavy metals until people get sick, and I don't think they are doing level 3 tests at all. Please let me know if I'm wrong.
ReplyDelete